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December 11, 2007

Special programs mark opening of Revolutionary War flag exhibition

Colonial Williamsburg's yearlong exhibition of four rare regimental flags from the Revolutionary War, “Captured Colors: Four Battleflags of the American Revolution,” opens on Saturday, Dec. 22 at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. Several first-day events are planned to mark the occasion, including special appearances by costumed historical interpreters and a hands-on children’s toymaking program. “Captured Colors” will showcase four 18th-century regimental flags that have returned to American soil more than 225 years after British cavalry officer Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton took them back to England as trophies of war.

From 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 22, visitors can interact with British and American Revolutionary War cavalry soldiers stationed on the steps of the museum's Public Hospital building as they await the arrival and departure of Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton, portrayed by Historic Area interpreter Mark Schneider. At 11:30 a.m. Tarleton gives a 30-minute presentation, “To the victor Goes the Spoils,” in the Hennage Auditorium, in which he recounts the events leading up to the capture of the four American battleflags. This program is free with any Colonial Williamsburg admission ticket; however reservations are required and can be made at any Colonial Williamsburg ticketing location. From 2:30-4 p.m., younger museumgoers can drop in on the “Toys!” program and make a toy fit for a soldier based on an object in the new “Captured Colors” exhibition. The program is free with Museum admission.

“Captured Colors: Four Battleflags of the American Revolution” is included with the purchase of a Colonial Williamsburg admission ticket. These prized treasures of the Revolution will remain on display through Jan. 9, 2009. Entrance to The Museums of Colonial Williamsburg is through the Public Hospital of 1773 on Francis Street between Nassau and South Henry Streets. Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Established in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is the not-for-profit educational institution that preserves and operates the restored 18th-century Revolutionary capital of Virginia as a town-sized living history museum, telling the inspirational stories of our nation’s founding men and women. Within the restored and reconstructed buildings, historic interpreters, attired as colonial men and women from slaves to shopkeepers to soldiers, relate stories of colonial Virginia society and culture — stories of our journey to become Americans – while historic tradespeople research, demonstrate and preserve the 18th-century world of work and industry. As Colonial Williamsburg interprets life in the time of the American Revolution for its guests, it also invites them to interact with history. Williamsburg is located in Virginia’s Tidewater region, 20 minutes from Newport News, within an hour’s drive of Richmond and Norfolk, and 150 miles south of Washington D.C., off Interstate 64. For more information about Colonial Williamsburg, call 1-800-HISTORY or visit Colonial Williamsburg’s Web site at www.history.org.